whet (one's) appetite

whet someone's appetite

Fig. to cause someone to be interested in something and to be eager to have, know, learn, etc., more about it. Seeing that film really whetted my sister's appetite for horror films. She now sees as many as possible. My appetite for theater was whetted when I was very young.

whet one's appetite

Arouse one's interest or eagerness, as in That first Schubert piece whetted my appetite; I hope she sings some others. This idiom, first recorded in 1612, transfers making one hungry for food to other kinds of eagerness.

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